The RDS is Dublin's premier venue; slightly smaller in
size than the Harrogate Exhibiton Centre, but with the addition of
a main stadium arena where Leinster RUFC play, and two showjumping
rings. Throw into the mix, concerts, exhibitions, other sporting
events and the world famous Dublin Horse Show, and it is clear that
Head Groundsman Gary Deakins has his work cut out. Alan Mahon went
to meet him on the eve of a Leinster v Cardiff Blues
game.

Alan Ryan (left) and Gary Deakins

One cannot help feel a sense of history as you enter the grounds
of the RDS. It was founded in 1731 to support Ireland to thrive
economically and culturally. Back then it was called the Dublin
Society, but the name changed to the Royal Dublin Society in
1820.

The Society's broad agenda was to stimulate economic activity
and aid the creation of employment in Ireland. For the first few
years of its existence, the Society concentrated on tillage
technology, land reclamation, forestry, the production of
dyestuffs, flax cultivation and other agricultural areas.

When I arrived at the Ballsbridge site, I had to walk through
the pathways leading to the main arena where I was to meet Head
Groundsman Gary Deakins. It was a hive of activity as I made my
way, as all departments within the complex were preparing for the
influx of fans and supporters for the match that night - the
Leinster v Cardiff Blues Guinness Pro14 rugby match (previously
called the Heineken Cup).

Fast food wagons and delivery vans with supplies of burgers, hot
dogs, fries and hot drinks lined the corridor dividing the two
jumping rings. Electricians were on hand ensuring all connections
were in order, along with the cherry pickers checking that the
stadium lights were all functioning properly.

The Cardiff Blues goal kicker gets in some practice ahead of the
match

In the centre of all this activity was Gary, busy linemarking
the pitch for game. He finished one of the lines and came over to
me to do the interview. We sat on one of the benches in the
Anglesea stand.

Gary was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Soon after leaving
school, he travelled to the US where he taught school kids how to
play golf. In 2000, he went to England to work as a greenkeeper at
Lanhydrock Golf Club in North Cornwall. It was here that he started
a three year block release greenkeeping training course. By the
time he finished training, he was working at St. Enodoch Golf Club
(after spending a short time at Bowood Golf Club). Gary then
travelled to New Zealand where he worked at Jackspoint Golf Club
near Queenstown which, at the time, was a brand new golf course
under construction.

In 2007, Gary's brother and wife emigrated to Ireland. They
liked the country so much that they encouraged him to move there.
In 2008, the position of gardener was being offered at the RDS so
Gary applied for and got the job. Three years later, he was
promoted to head groundsman and has remained there ever since. He
now lives locally with his partner and their two year old daughter
and four year old son.

Gary is probably the only groundsman in Ireland who is
responsible for preparing the same pitch for two vastly different
sports - rugby and showjumping, not to mention the concerts that
are held there as well. Alan Ryan helps Gary maintain the pitches.
Larger jobs, such as topdressing, spraying and fraize mowing, are
contracted out.

Left: the main arena, and right: jumping ring 1

The pitch in the RDS main arena is used mainly for the Leinster
team's home matches. Winners of three Heineken Cup titles, Leinster
have trained and played at the RDS since 2005. Previous to that,
they occupied the grounds at Donnybrook Stadium. The only time they
don't play a home game at the RDS is when large crowds are
expected; usually at the final and semi final stages of tournaments
(seating capacity at the RDS is 18,500). In these situations, they
hold their home games at the nearby Aviva Stadium.

The year from beginning to end

At the beginning of each year, Gary finds himself in the middle
of the Guinness Pro14 rugby season. Pressure in getting the pitch
in perfect condition mounts as the championship has already reached
the halfway stage. From now on, every point earned for the home
team is crucial.

When the last rugby match of the season finishes, usually in
early May, depending on how Leinster progress in the tournament,
the fraize mower is hired to rip out the old turf. Then the pitch
is verti-drained, topdressed and overseeded. The stands behind the
goals are also taken down at this time.

This year, Gary had to contend with the Justin Bieber concert
that was scheduled for 21st June. He had a seven week window to get
this work done and have a healthy sward ahead of the concert. An
application of a slow release fertilizer (28:5:5 + iron) was given
to help the grass recover in time.

A couple of days before the concert, Terraplast was laid over
the pitch. This is a white plastic cover that protects the pitch
from wear and tear from concert goers. One of the properties of
this material is that it lets sunlight through to the grass, which
helps the turf survive the four days it is covered for the concert.
Gary tells me that, when they removed the Terraplast, the grass was
a little hungry and yellow. "It was time for a quick feed of
9:7:7," says Gary.

As well as the Terraplast removal, the concert stage had to be
dismantled and taken away. When this was done, the area of turf
that was beneath the stage was verti-drained and overseeded using a
dimple seeder. Time was of the essence for Gary, as the next big
event to worry about was the world famous Dublin Horse Show, which
is held in early August.

Jumping ring 2

This event has been held at the RDS since 1864 and attracts
thousands of visitors each year. Six weeks remained for Gary to get
the turf in tip-top condition. He cut the grass between 26-28mm
using a pedestrian rotary mower. In the week leading up to the
horse show, a triplex ride on mower was used to mow the sward.

During the five days of competitions, Gary and his team work
around the clock. The jump areas in the main arena have to be
repaired after each round of competitions. Extra staff are brought
in to help with this. For this event, Gary arrives at 5.00pm and
doesn't finish until 6.00am the following morning. During those
hours, he has to hand water dry areas, repair damaged parts of the
arena, take readings for moisture levels, traction and drainage,
and carry out Clegg Hammer tests to record surface hardness. A lot
of responsibility falls into his lap, but he deals with it
calmly.

When the horse show finishes, all the jumps and flower
containers have to be removed, including the water jump, which is
set into the ground. The void left by the water jump has to be
filled and returfed. When this is completed, the pitch is raked and
cleaned of debris and verti-drained. A topdressing of 60:40
peat/sand is applied (the peat is to help retain moisture levels).
This mixture is also used to repair divots. When this is complete,
the pitch is overseeded and another application of 9:7:7 is
given.

Left: The impressive main entrance with stunning floral display.
Right: One of the gardeners loads up some mulch for spreading
around the stands

I should not forget to mention about the other two areas that
Gary has to maintain. These are the two jumping rings that are
outside of the main arena. As I interviewed Gary, he told me that
he had fraize mown and overseeded jumping ring No. 2 two weeks
earlier. I could see the young grass shoots emerging. Jumping ring
No. 1 was only overseeded this year. There is also the sand jumping
ring at the south end of the complex that needs looking after.

Time creeps up once more as the start of the rugby season is
only four weeks away. The height of cut of the pitch is raised to
35mm for the rugby matches (raised to 40mm during winter).
Applications of liquid feed are given, along with regular sand
topdressings. A slow release fertiliser is applied to help the
grass throughout the winter.

September is not long approaching. The hard work that Gary has
put in to keep the main arena in tip top shape is put to the test.
At the time of writing, Leinster had won three out of their four
Guinness Pro 14 matches. The main arena will be taking a lot of
abuse and hardship for the rest of the year and into next year as
the rugby season gets into full swing.

The year is now complete. As Christmas approaches, Gary can look
back with pride at another successful year at the RDS, but it is no
time to rest on his laurels as 2018 is just around the corner, when
the year will begin all over again. No rest for the South African
who has made his home in Ireland.